Houston Art and Dining

Haute Houston

Fine art and fine dining create a well-oiled culture capital.

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By Kirk Reed Forrester
Photography by Shannon O’Hara

Long known as a business boomtown, Houston now boasts a thriving arts and culinary scene. The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (1001 Bissonnet Street; 713/639-7300) has morphed from a regional draw to a national powerhouse, thanks to a new A-list director and ambitious exhibitions. Walk through leafy Montrose neighborhood and enjoy the mesmerizing Rothko Chapel (3900 Yupon Street; 713/524-9839), the Cy Twombly Gallery (1501 Branard Street; 713/525-9400) and the internationally acclaimed Menil Collection (1533 Sul Ross Street; 713/525-9400), a serene museum housing wow-factor works.

Eat
Get the personal treatment at tiny Oxheart (1302 Nance Street; 832/830-8592), where plates of New American cuisine are delivered by the wunderkind chef himself. Like the sign outside says, Underbelly (1100 Westheimer Road; 713/528-9800) is “Reppin’ H-town with Love”; with the city’s only in-house butcher, don’t miss their charcuterie. Finish the weekend with an over-the-top Mexican brunch, a killer margarita, and live mariachi music at Hugo’s (1600 West-heimer Road; 713/524-7744), a local institution.

Drink
Posh types head to Tiny Boxwoods (3614 W. Alabama Street; 713/622-4224) for a cappuccino or glass of rosé in a charming garden setting. At Anvil (1424 Westheimer Road; 713/523-1622), creative bartenders make their own bitters and liqueurs. Drinking a Sazerac never tasted so noble.